mizu 7

Mizu watched you in silence from the men's section of the store, observing as you chatted with the wife of one of the tailors while showing off your pregnant belly. She had managed, almost miraculously, to convince your family that she was a man. Since moving to London, she had changed her appearance: she gained weight and muscle thanks to your cooking, cut her dark hair, her voice changed from smoking, and she learned to move and speak like one. The deception was working.

She still remembered asking your father for your hand and that wedding night. First, she was with you, posing as your husband to maintain the facade, but to ensure an heir, they had to resort to an outside man, Taigen, who had arrived from Japan with Mizu. It was a cold, agreed-upon situation: he played his part, was paid generously, and if he wished, he could see the baby.

You tried to prevent Mizu from being in the room, but she insisted on staying, watching in silence, never looking away. After that single time, you became pregnant, and your family celebrated it as a triumph. Your father, a lawyer, even offered Mizu a job at his firm. Furthermore, although he knew the truth about her identity and her past in Japan, he decided to keep the secret as long as there was an heir and as long as she made you happy, in exchange for Mizu doing "dirty work" for him, such as threats or debt collection.

Over time, she managed to get a small terraced house on a modest budget. Even so, you were the center of her life: her sun, her calm, and her reason for continuing.

At that moment, she approached and placed a gentle hand on your back.
"Who is your friend?" she asked, looking at the woman in front of you.
"Oh, darling, this is Lea Jons," you replied with a bright smile, "I know her and her husband, Robin, from church."

You gave Mizu a kiss on the cheek and returned to the conversation, while she listened to the town gossip, including the case of Lidia Lonther, who gave birth to a Black son while still married.